High Tech High Mechista Magazine Volume 1 (2022)

MECHISTA MAGAZINE

PRESENTED BY HTH MECHA/LATINX

STUDENT UNION

THE POPSTAR REVEALS WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO COME OUT TO HER PARENTS

What Is MEChA?

Student1: Estefania Duarte

Student Highlight

Student 1: Anonymous

Student 2: Estefania

Duarte

Student 3: Desta Chery

Student 4: Winter

Snow

Student 5: Areya

Blanco

Student 6: Rebecca

Rolon-Vargas

What's Happenning In The Latinx World?

Student 2: Bella Boyd

San Diego Mesa College MEChA

César López Ph.D

Timeline of Collaboration Between

Mesa and Logan Memorial

Education Campus

Mechistas de Mesa

Applying As First Gen.

Quince During Covid: Zayra Flores

Quince During Covid: Angelina

Jauregui

Letter from Lucía

Lucera

Gallegos

Lucera is a 12th-grade art teacher at HTH and an advisor for MEChA. She has worked as a Visual Arts Teacher at High Tech High for five years. Aside from educating, Lucera is a poet who has organized events with students of color to read writing about their identity.

Lucía Chavarín López

Is a sophomore and graduating class of 2024. Lucía joined MEChA during her sophomore year by Judy, and Frida introduced her to the club while working together at Summer Bridge 2021. She has been a part of the HTH system for two years.

Jahir Martinez

Jahir is a senior at HTH who has also been a member of MEChA since his freshman year. He has been a part of the HTH system since middle school. Ms. Judy Zapien was the one who brought him into the club.

VICE PRESIDENT OF HTH MECHA

Frida Sánchez

Frida is a part of the graduating class of 2022 and has been a part of MEChA since her freshman year. She has been President of HTH MEChA for two years.

Frida was brung into MEChA by a science teacher introduced her to Judy.

PRESIDENT OF HTH MECHA

Judy Zapien

Judy has been the HTH MEChA advisor for 10 years and has brought in and sent off many students. She has worked as an English Learner Coordinator at HTH for 10 years.

WHAT IS MECHA?

STANDFOR?

MEChA began as a political movement made official at a conference in Santa Barbara in 1969 At this conference, students unified themselves with "El Plan de Santa Barbara " At the time, MEChA was in different forms, and "El Plan de Santa Barbara" allowed all these students who ran organizations and clubs to have an umbrella term, MEChA

The following years observed immense growth in Chicanx activism among students in these clubs Now known as Mechistas They followed what MEChA promoted political power and reform The idea is that they CAN change things They DO have the ability to demand equity in a world that does not hand it to us

WHO

STUDENT STUDENT STUDENT HIGHLIGHT HIGHLIGHT HIGHLIGHT

GET A CLOSER LOOK INSIDE OUR SCHOOL AND SEE GET A CLOSER LOOK INSIDE OUR SCHOOL AND SEE GET A CLOSER LOOK INSIDE OUR SCHOOL AND SEE THE TALENT THAT LIVES WITHIN... THE TALENT THAT LIVES WITHIN... THE TALENT THAT LIVES WITHIN...

ANONYMOUS

STUDENT AT HTH

ANONYMOUS IS A MEXICAN AMERICAN STUDENT AT HTH WHO DOES PHOTOGRAPHY PRIMARILY THEY FOCUS ON URBAN PHOTOGRAPHY AND SOMETIMES SPORTS.

ESTEFANIA DUARTE

IS A 12TH GRADE STUDENT AT HTH SHE SHOWCASES A POWERFUL POEM THAT TOUCHES ON THE PRESPECTIVES OF OTHERS INTO HER WORLD AND THE WAY SHE GREW UP

Where I’m from, gangbangers have thoughts and emotions, not just bad reputations. They’re friends and family.

Where I’m From

Because they like the slang I use and the way I dress they always ask me where I’m from.

Where I’m from, respect and loyalty come before money and clout.

Where I’m from, Friday smells like carne asada and sounds like La Chona.

Where I’m from, people aren’t scared of pitbulls. We treat them with care because we know what it feels for people to judge the way you look.

Where I’m from, spent spray cans lay on the sidewalk beneath the words and numbers written on the wall. We call it art.

Where I’m from, tattoos aren’t seen as unprofessional. We see them as history on your skin.

Where I’m from, the police don't seem to like us. They let kids die and blame it on the child.

Where I’m from, teenagers get shot for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Where I’m from, we ’ re used to bad things happening to us. We don't cry or complain, we move on and wish for better days.

Where I’m from, we watch as tall buildings replace our homes. They want us out so they can make luxury apartments for ‘better’ families to live in. What they view as a piece of land, I view as a safe space, my home.

They can't see how the murals of Aztec warriors and workers, peacemakers and ass-kickers follow me home to make sure I arrive safely

They can't see the yellow street lights stand tall above me wrapping it with their light when it gets dark.

They can’t see it or they refuse to see it. Either way, I will show them where I’m from.

DESTA CHERY

IS A 10TH GRADE STUDENT AT HTH

HI! MY NAME IS DESTA CHERY AND I’M ABOUT TO BECOME A JUNIOR AT HIGH TECH HIGH. I ENJOY MAKING ALL TYPES OF ART, BUT I LIKE TO DRAW DIFFERENT STYLES OF PORTRAITS THE MOST

WINTER SNOW

10TH GRADE STUDENT AT HTH

WINTER GOES BY PRONOUNS SHE/THEY/FAE/IT SHE'S A LOCAL ARTIST IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD THAT LIKES TO PAINT AND DRAW AS A HOBBY THEY ALSO SELL THEIR ART TO "WELCOME HOME BOUTIQUE & ART SPACE " CURRENTLY, WINTER HAS NOT SOLD ANY PIECES TO THE STORE IN A LITTLE WHILE,

Areya Blanco

IS A 10TH GRADE STUDENT AT HTH

I AM A INDIGENOUS AND BLACK YOUTH ACTIVIST. I USE MY POETRY TO EXPRESS MY IDENTITY, THOUGHTS, FEELINGS, AND MY EXPERIENCES AS A BIOPIC WOMAN I HAVE FOUND A WHOLE COMMUNITY WITHIN MY PASSIONS FOR POETRY AND ACTIVISM. THEY TEACH AND SUPPORT ME LIKE FAMILY DOES, AND I WISH TO DO THE SAME FOR OTHERS. I HOPE THAT ONE DAY I CAN PROVIDE A INVITING AND WELCOMING BRAVE SPACE FOR YOUTH AND OTHER POC

See next page for Areya's poems....

"Identities"byAreyaBlanco

What if I were to say I am maroon black and indigenous would people complain say I have no place no right to identify?

The rez pushed me away and the white folk said to stay but, as long as i go by their rules they stereotyped me and then ridiculed me “ you ’ re too black for us ” but my black brothers and sisters looked at me and only saw the mask trama had created i’m exhausted of not knowing who I am or wondering who people want me to be I am maroon

and my indigenous roots flow through the ground of Guatemala, Belize and Honduras my people are apart of the Garífuna Nation

I hold my family’s name with pride as they are deeply engraved in my tribe I know little information but my elders teach me as i find more motivation They welcomed me no matter my presentation I thought my blood didn’t matter because I was separated from my land but I have traditions I want to pass and i want to join in my traditional dance i owe no one my blood percent or an explanation of my past i have found what I felt was missin and i’m taking my history back

Maroon

Maroons are descendants of Africans in the Americas who formed settlements away from slavery. They often mixed with indigenous peoples, eventually evolving into separate creole cultures such as the Garifuna

REBECCA ROLONVARGAS

10TH GRADE STUDENT AT HTH

EVERY PIECE IS MADE BY BECCA

LATINA SMALL BUSINESS, SAN DIEGO, CA

HANDMADE DESIGNS

DM @HOLAYARN (IN LOWERCASE) ON IG FOR CUSTOMS

"West Side Story: Spielberg on casting the film from Latin American community"

What's What's Happening Happening In The In The Latinx Latinx World? World?

"Honduras looks to elect its first female president"

LATINX HEADLINES 2021-2022

THIS SECTION WILL SHOWCASE SUMMARIES OF BIG HEADLINES FROM THE LATINX COMMUNITY 2021-2022. ALSO,LINKS TO WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFO.

In December of 2021, the conservative party candidate Nasry Asfura conceded, awarding leftist party candidate Xiomara Castro the presidency, making her the first Honduran female president Castro led votes with 53% and Asfura with 34% by the time they had counted 52% .

Many were pushing for Castro to win to avoid violent protests like in 2017 that left 23 dead People were tensely awaiting the results, boarding up windows in case of protest This comes after sketchy elections, with recounts being called for in the past but never being fulfilled.

Relief washed over the people of Honduras when the results came out, and reports came with no sign of fraud/irregularities in votes

Now that Castro is president, she will be busy solving leading issues in Honduras, like the unemployment rate, family poverty, wages, and lasting damages from the devastation of prior hurricanes

The NPR podcast "LIFE KIT" hosts Naydeline Mejia and Isabeth Mendoza were joined by musical artist Figgy Baby and mental health professionals Natalie Gutierrez and Daniel Olavarria. In this episode, they talked about their own experiences, opinions on mental health, and how the new generation of the Latinx community can have this conversation with their parents

Throughout the conversation, they talk about their experiences with supportive parents and family members who told them growing up that mental health was related to having a cold or being hungry They give us tips on how to approach and facilitate this type of conversation with our families

Understanding our mental health

Take time to reflect on what's going on before having the conversation

Have the conversation (Prepare what to say/Script)

Put yourself and healing first

"Honduraselecteditsfirstfemalepresident,Xiomara Castro"

""4tipsfortalkingtoyourLatinxparentsabout mentalhealth"

LATINX HEADLINES 2

THIS SECTION WILL SHOWCASE SUMMARIES OF BIG HEADLINES FROM THE LATINX COMMUNITY 2021-2022. ALSO,LINKS TO WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFO.

"ThreeKingsDay2022"

This year, Día de los reyes or Three Kings Day was celebrated all over Latin America It is a celebration of tradition and life, marking 12 days after the birth of baby Jesus.

On this day, three kings came to visit him with gifts and created the tradition of following a star all the way to Bethelem to mark this special occasion

"ChangesonthehorizonforWhatcomnonprofit connectingLatinxfamilieswithoutdoors"

Vamos Outdoors Project is a nonprofit based in Whatcom County in Washington, the USA that focuses on getting the Latinx community and families outdoors and active.

Since its launch in 2018, the project has created new experiences for Latinx families in the Whatcom area and plans on expanding to other regional counties with new things such as snowboarding

A leadership team member, Clara Artiaga, describes these trips to not just be for fun but a way for Latinx children to see themselves being able to do these types of activities, that normally don't showcase people who look like them

The program provides family bonding and mentorship. Whichever child decides to go on the trips they offer are given transportation, gear, and food

Starting this year in 2022, the program will be offering its services outside of school districts so everyone can join. Along with expansion into other districts in the Washington area

ClassProjects/Cultural Holidays

Díade los Muertos

As we neared the end of October Ms. Anna's Spanish class and MEChA collaborated to create a beautiful altar for the school.

WhatisDíadelos Muertos?

Día de los Muertos is believed to have origins dating back to the Aztec empire. It is celebrated on November 1-2nd every year to honor and celebrate the lives of those who have passed on.

It is most famouly observed in Mexico, but also is similarily celebrated in countries like China and Japan

Every year families will go to the grave of their loved ones and place food, flowers and personal items to remember them and ensure safe passage through worlds.

HowDidItStart?

MEChA already wanted a way to celebrate Día de los Muertos, and Ms Anna Warner was eager to participate in the holiday.

A group of students from her AM and PM class worked together to create an altar that the whole school is allowed take part in.

These students were Alex Tejeda, David Maya, Angelina Jauregui, Jayden Dial, Khriz Guzman, Madeleine Mann, Miah Nuñez, Ramses Juarez, Rebecca RolonVargas, Zayra Flores and myself.

TheProcess

To build an altar takes work even with a team and so we followed a process that helped us finish everything by our deadline. Once we had established who would be a part of the team, we met all together to assign roles. Everyone was assigned a role, whether it be researcher or bringing in a specific material.

Setting up roles helped our team get up and running. We met consistently during a specific time during Spanish class to meet and see our progress.

Getting closer to the day, we needed a way to advertise this to the school. And so it began that we designated members of our team to email teacher setting up dates when we could present our project.

While emails were being sent, our members were practicing presentations to show classes Along with this we coordinated between each other to make sure we were set with presenters and supplies for the altar.

On build day, we had some members presenting and days prior. While the rest of the team took class time to pull everything together and built what we see in the November 12th HTH Newsletter.

To engage students and teachers to participate in this celebration with us, our team presented a small slideshow to classes within the 10th grade.

"At first I felt nervous when I was told that we had to present, but because you (Lucía) were there I felt better. Presenting was nerve wracking but it was also kind of cool to get to talk about my culture and include others in it. My schools in the past didn’t ever do anything along those lines so it was a nice experience to take charge and speak about something I know."

-Miah Nuñez

10th grader, Member of project

Shine a Light on Us

How do you identify?

Mexican.

Estefania Duarte

Estefania is a senior at HTH this year, and will be the graduating class of 2022. She is a Mexican-American student who has been a part of the HTH system since 8th grade. Born in San Diego and raised in Tijuana, México. In our conversation, she gives insight into how this school has provided a new path for her and let her see a new way of learning.

Do you feel at home at HTH?

I’ve definitely found my people. As humans, we always find what we are most comfortable in. Which is something we relate to. I can say the people I hang out with or that make me feel at home at that school are people that are also Mexican. People that I can speak Spanish with or people that I can joke around in Spanish with.

it important to find people who speak the same language or grew up similarly?

I do believe that it’s important to find people different from you. To have more diversity so that you can grow from one another. But I also feel that it’s important to find people who have similar backgrounds to you so you can talk about your similar problems with people who understand you. They can give you a more honest opinion based on the similarities that they’re going through.

Do you think there should be a larger Mexican student population at HTH?

Honestly, I feel that there are a lot and I wouldn’t mind some more. There is a great quantity of us.

Why do you think there isn't a larger Mexican student population at HTH?

There’s a certain mentality around HTH. The stigma is that it’s a white people's school. I say this because even before I started going there I didn’t want to go there because I was like ‘No, how embarrassing. My friends are going to say that I go to a white people's school. They’re not going to want to talk to me anymore. ’ People also had that idea of HTH because when I told my friends I was going to start going there they started acting differently. One time we had this argument and they told me ‘So you think you ’ re better than us now because you go to a white people's school?’ That was something that really made me think ‘Damn people really do think this about HTH, and I may even be seen different.’ Honestly, I walked in with that same mentality, but I quickly became adapted to HTH because it’s so welcoming. It tries to make you feel at home. Make sure that you ’ re okay. That you feel safe.

Do you feel that's why Mexican students who are accepted turn down the offer?

I would say so, yeah.

What brought you to HTH?

"My brother went to school here. My parents wanted me to go to school here because it turned out good for my brother. They noticed that it gave us more opportunities than other people from our culture that didn’t go to that school."

What grade did you join HTH?

8th grade was my first year.

Was HTH your best option?

I can definitely say this school was the best option for me. Let’s just say that if I would’ve stayed at the public school that I would’ve been going to, I think it was San Diego High for me, I probably would have ended up pregnant or in gangs like most of my friends from childhood.

Why do you think so many teens fall into these outcomes?

The system doesn’t show them other opportunities. It just seems like an easier way out than actually going through with school. The other school system is different than HTH. It doesn't expose them to new things and new opportunities. Going to HTH you get exposed to different scenarios, different people, different views. Your mind starts thinking differently and starts looking for the things that are good for you.

I do believe that because everyone learns differently and public schools are made so you learn by how they teach you and they don’t adapt to you. I can say that HTH had adapted to my learning style, to my necessities. All you gotta do is speak up to people, your teachers mainly, what you need from them.

Do your parents feel welcomed at HTH?

Yeah, I mainly feel that because they know that my brother was safe there. And my brother did well with the teachings he had from there. They know it is a good place for me, so they do feel safe.

Do you feel the school is accommodating/welcoming to their Latino student population?

I do believe that. Especially with us having a MEChA group. I feel they do speak up for the Latino necessities and the Latino people at school.

What would you change or add to make the school more welcoming to Latinos?

I’m not sure if we have a Spanish parents association but that could make more parents try to engage with the school. I know my parents have never gone to a parents association meeting because I guess they wouldn’t feel comfortable going there. It’s their second language and they wouldn’t feel comfortable speaking up. Maybe if we had a Spanish teacher association. I just feel parents would feel more comfortable going. Specifically Latino parents.

Do you feel that HTH prepares you for the future?

It has prepared my mentality for the outside world because it has taught me how to work with people who are different than me. And it has expanded my boundaries. I’m able to work with people that in the past I didn’t feel comfortable working with. In a large crowd, I can always find my way. That is something that HTH had prepared me for, for the outside world. Academically, I’m not sure until I face the outside world.

Bella Boyd

Bella is a Senior at HTH who is also the president of the HTH BSU. In this interview she explains how a unique curriculim impacts her College readiness. Along with the effects of representation within staff.

H o w d o y o u i d e n t i f y ?

( E t h n i c i t y , n a t i o n a l i t y , e t c )

I d e n t i f i e s A f r o -

L a t i n a m y d a d i s

A f r i c a n - A m e r i c a n a n d

m y m o m i s B r a z i l i a n .

D o y o u f e e l a t h o m e a t H T H ?

I t d e p e n d s o n w h o I ' m w i t h i f I f e e l

c o m f o r t a b l e a r o u n d a c e r t a i n t e a c h e r

o r c o s t m e t h e n y e s I d o f e e l a t h o m e

b u t i f I d o n ' t f e e l c o m f o r t a b l e I ' m

I s i m p o r t a n t t o f i n d

c o m m u n i t y a t s c h o o l ?

I t h i n k i t i s v e r y i m p o r t a n t t o f i n d c o m m u n i t y a t s c h o o l

b e c a u s e i t m a k e s y o u f e e l m o r e c o m f o r t a b l e t o k n o w t h a t y o u w e r e s u p p o r t e d a n d y o u c a n f i n d s u p p o r t .

n o t a t h o m e

S h o u l d b e a l a r g e r A f r i c a n A m e r i c a n p o p u l a t i o n a t H T H ?

Y e s , w e h a v e a v e r y l o w A f r i c a n

A m e r i c a n p o p u l a t i o n a t H i g h - T e c h h i g h

w e d o n ' t h a v e a t e a c h e r w h o ' s

A f r i c a n - A m e r i c a n .

W h a t c o u l d b e a r e a s o n w h y t h e r e a r e n ' t m o r e A f r i c a n A m e r i c a n s t u d e n t s a t H T H ?

W e l l , a l m o s t e v e r y s c h o o l i s p r e d o m i n a n t l y w h i t e b u t f o r H i g h -

T e c h h i g h s p e c i f i c a l l y , i t c o u l d j u s t b e t h a t t h e l o t t e r y s y s t e m d o e s n ' t w o r k w e l l w i t h A f r i c a n A m e r i c a n s t u d e n t s W h a t b r o u g h t y o u t o H T H ? W h a t g r a d e d i d y o u j o i n ?

I c a m e t o H i g h - T e c h h i g h i n 9 t h g r a d e m y b r o t h e r w e n t t o H i g hT e c h h i g h f o r A l l 4 y e a r s a n d h e s e e m e d v e r y h a p p y s o m y m o m p u t m e i n t h e l o t t e r y a n d I g o t i t

W a s H T H y o u r b e s t o p t i o n f o r s c h o o l i n g ?

I n m y o p i n i o n n o , j u s t b e c a u s e I f e e l r e a l l y b e h i n d i n t h e i r r e g u l a r c u r r i c u l u m w h i c h i s w h a t m o s t c o l l e g e s u s e

I s t h e p u b l i c s c h o o l s y s t e m t o o s t a n d a r d i z e d ?

I n a l m o s t e v e r y a r e a o f t h e c l a s s r o o m , s t a n d a r d i z a t i o n i s u s e d i n t h e c u r r i c u l u m c o n t a i n i n g s t a n d a r d t i t l e s a t e a c h a c a d e m i c l e v e l c l a s s r o o m o r g a n i z a t i o n c l a s s r o o m l a n g u a g e , a n d a c a d e m i c a c c o m p l i s h m e n t w h i c h w e a s s e s s t h e i r s t a n d a r d i z e d t e s t s r a t h e r t h a n g e n u i n e k n o w l e d g e o b t a i n e d t h e a p p l i c a t i o n a n d e x p e r i e n c e s o y e s I b e l i e v e i t i s

D o y o u r p a r e n t s f e e l w e l c o m e d a t H T H ?

M y d a d d o e s n ' t r e a l l y c o m e t o s c h o o l o f t e n b u t I ' m p r e t t y s u r e h e f e e l s w e l c o m e m y m o m o n t h e o t h e r h a n d c o m e s t o s c h o o l a l o t m o s t o f t h e t e a c h e r s k n o w h e r n a m e

I s H T H a c c o m m o d a t i n g / w e l c o m i n g t o t h e i r A f r i c a n A m e r i c a n s t u d e n t s ?

I d o n ' t t h i n k t h e y ' r e r e a l l y w e l c o m i n g b e c a u s e y o u d o n ' t t r e a t u s a n y d i f f e r e n t l y t h a n t h e o t h e r k i d s t h e y a r e j u s t n e u t r a l .

W h a t w o u l d y o u c h a n g e o r a d d t o m a k e i t m o r e w e l c o m i n g ?

I w o u l d l i k e t o a d d m o r e c u l t u r e i n t o t h e c u r r i c u l u m b e c a u s e I f e e l t h a t b l a c k s t u d e n t s o n l y g e t t h e s p o t l i g h t w h e n i t ' s b l a c k h i s t o r y m o n t h a n d e v e n t h e n w e d o n ' t r e a l l y g e t t o h e a r m u c h a b o u t b l a c k p e o p l e d u r i n g t h a t m o n t h I a l s o w i s h t h a t w a s t h e r e w a s m o r e s t a f f t h a t l o o k l i k e m e

H a s H T H p r e p a r e d y o u f o r t h e f u t u r e ?

I n a w a y i t h a s a n d h a s n ' t p r e p a r e d m e I f e e l c o l l e g e w i s e I ' m n o t v e r y p r e p a r e d b e c a u s e w e d o n ' t g e t a r e g u l a r c u r r i c u l u m b u t i s h e l p m e d e v e l o p s k i p p e o p l e s k i l l s a n d f e e l c o m f o r t a b l e c o l l a b o r a t i n g w i t h o t h e r s t u d e n t s a n d t e a c h e r s

Mesa College MEChA

San Diego Mesa College was founded in 1963, opening in 1964. The campus still stands in Kearny Mesa right down the street from Kearny High School. It is a public 2 year community college here in San Diego that helps students of any age get degrees or transfer to other universities.

The school, like many others, has its own MEChA club that is open to all students who are enrolled. The school implemented the club starting in 1969, five years after the campus opened.

Mesa College Mechistas do all sorts of things for the school. Covid hit hard on many clubs, but these Mechistas did not let that hold them back. Throughout quarantine they still held consistent online meetings with their advisor.

Before Covid, advisor Cesar Lopez explains that most of the events the Mechistas had were "Scholarship events, raising money for the club and carne asadas."

Further into the conversation, he states that the collaboration with the Logan Memorial Eduational Campus school for Día de los Muertos was the first of its kind. Most of the time, the Mechistas stay within their own campus grounds when doing events and projects. However, they decided to shake things up and create a beautiful altar for all of "LMEC" students to participate in and enjoy.

“I'm proud of them. They stayed strong attending meetings and maintaining community even when we couldn't see each other.”

-César López

Mechistas looking for a community service project

LMEC reached out to the Mechistas for a possible oppurtunity

Zoom meetings between Mechistas and LMEC staff to plan implementation of altar

Mechistas fundraising on campus for money to use when buying materials for altar

Mechistas, Cesar and LMEC staff build altar

Mechistas returned to take down the altar

"M.E.Ch.A. was founded on the principles of selfdetermination for the liberation of our people. We believe that political involvement and education is the avenue for change in our society."

ApplyingAs FirstGen.

MEChA President, Frida Sanchéz is a senior this year who is on her way to San Diego State University. In the midsts of applications I sat down with her to talk about the adversities she faced as a first generation student.

During her interview the biggest theme that came up was revolving around financial aid. Many around her have parents who can support them through the process and who have been there before, As a result, Frida put in 10x more effort, which included staying after school with teachers and taking advantage of school recources.

Being her own advocate was a vital part of what got her through the process. Having to do things herself has allowed her to expand her knowledge on the college application process. Making her more self sufficent and knowledgeble about things that like she explains, her peers will not learn until well into their twenties.

"I've had friends who told me that their parents tell them 'Oh don't worry about anything, just apply to colleges. Don't worry about the financial aid.' And I'm like, I wish I could do that too."

-FridaSanchez

President of HTH MEChA

Quince During Covid

Covid affected everything in our lives One of those things being parties, specifically Quinceñeras. A big moment in many young Mexican girls lives. A time where for some is a religious event and for others is a big party for friends and family Sometimes it can even be both.

While talking with Zayra, she explained to me her experience in planning her quinceñera in this unique time At the time of the interview, March 2022, she had yet to celebrate her quinceñera.

While planning, her first obstacle was finding a venue She explains how it was difficult to find a place that would be safe for her guests and able to house all of them, The biggest ask was to have an open air venue to avoid quick spreading which would be more possible in a small room

INTERVIEW WITH ZAYRA FLORES

Although there are troubles when planning, the end products of finding a dress and invitations made it all better

At times the dress and the pictures are the parts that the birthday girls look forward to the most It is what will be in all the pictures, and can even be correlated with the color theme of the entire party.

When first planning the party, she had to make the decision of whether she would be able to invite her family from Tijuana based on if the border between the US and Mexico was opened, Luckily, now she is able to invite them since it more opened

When closing up the interview she explains that the important part for her was the core reason she's planning all of this in the first place To have the party To celebrate To see her family again

Since Covid, Zayra goes further into how Covid has affected the prices of venues. The price makes her options more limited along with availability

Zayra Flores

Zayra is a sophomore at HTH who joined the system in freshman year. She has been planning her quinceñera for over a year and plans to have it in July of 2022 with close friends and family.

Planning a quinceñera takes a lot of effort, time and patience. However, attending one is a whole different experience. Those who have gone to a quince know how magical it is to attend

When talking with Angelina Jauregui, he explains her experience of going to a quinceñera in November 2021. Right off the bat, she goes into the attractions there were, like a mechanical bull open to all guests She details how there was an inside and outside option of the venue for guests to be in

The quince she went to included a religious ceremony for the birthday girl Taking place in a church, the birthday girl shows up in her dress to speak with the priest and her chambelanes waiting at the back during the ceremony

Quince During Covid

Angelina also brings up the struggle the family faced planning the event related to venue availability This resulted in shifts of guests allowed to come and size of venue During the party, she reports that she felt safe the entire time Never did she feel unsafe or at risk of getting sick during the event.

Planning a quinceñera takes a lot of effort, time and patience However, attending one is a whole different experience Those who have gone to a quince know how magical it is to attend When talking with Angelina Jauregui, he explains her experience of going to a quinceñera in November 2021. Right off the bat, she goes into the attractions there were, like a mechanical bull open to all guests She details how there was an inside and outside option of the venue for guests to be in

The quince she went to included a religious ceremony for the birthday girl. Taking place in a church, the birthday girl shows up in her dress to speak with the priest and her chambelanes waiting at the back during the ceremony

Take a look at what it's like going to a quinceñera during Covid!

"It was lowered to 150, but originally it was twice that."

-Angelina Jauregui

Thank Thank Thank you! you! you!

Hi readers! This is the end of the magazine, but thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Or taking the time to flip through the pages. Either way, I appreciate you! I have been working on this for a little while and it's so satisfying to see it all come together. I was assigned to create a magazine for MEChA and make it my own. I had a foggy direction for a while until I realized that I loved the story aspect. Focusing on people's opinions and experiences here at HTH. This is what drove me to finish this and make it focused primarily on students of color in our community. There are so many more subjects now looking back I would've loved to touch on, but this is my first magazine ever. So I think I did a pretty good job for a first timer.

Bye loves!

LucíaChavarínLópez